Mail-box.



J. W. HENRY. MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11,1910

Liifififlw Patented 00s. 22, 1912.

v f I 25 M 1; M4 y \Y/ 24 f 2 j; 1% 23% if inventor Attorneys JOHN W. HENRY, E CRAUVFQRDSVILLE, ENDIANA,

noti es.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- L k e. tented t. .di' 1 311.2.

Application filed In 11, 1910. Serial filo. IiiIi,-i-$E=.

1 :To' ritl whcm it may concern:

' Be itknown that I, JOHN W. a citizen of the United States, residing at I Crawfordsville, in the county c Montgoma cry and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Mail-Box, of which the 1 following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail boxes'de signed .to be mounted on a house door, or at any other suitable location,'and in which the mail matter for the owner of the box is deposited by the carrier.

The invention also has for its object to provide a mail boxembodying certain novel features of construction to. be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing forming; a part of this specificationl igure i is a per-- spective View of a mail box constructed in accordance with the present invention. 2 is a vertical section of the box. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the lower rear end ot' box. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on the line 4-t of Fi 2.

Referring specifically to the drawing, 5 denotes the part to which the mail. he is secured. This part may be the house door, or the box may be mounted any other convenient location so as to be readily net-e sible so to the carrier. The box is substan lolly rec tring'ulur in form, and hes front wall 6,

side walls 7. a rear wall 8, and a top comprising fixed front and rear portl 5) end 10 respectively, the latter of which is slanting. The parts 9 and 10 are spaced from each other to form a slot through which the.

niailmatter is inserted into the 301; but which is too small to admit a, hand to remove mail matter once dropped into the loci. At its front end, the portion 10 of the top is bent downwardly as indicated at 11 to form the upper portion of the rear wall oi the box. At the lower end of the portion ll, a rearward bend 1'2 is made to join the wall 8. By this arrangement of the parts forming the slanting top and rear wall of the box, a. recess 13 is formed at the back of the box, which is for a purpose to be presently described. The parts 10, 2.], l2 and 8 are flanged at. their ends as shown in Fig. 2, on which flanges the side walls 7 fit, and by means of rivets or other fastening means Ll passing theretln-ough, the parts are rigidly connected. The side walls 7 have outstanding flanges 15 which are perforet "l to re ceive screws or other fastening means, 16 for securing the box to the door or ct, port-,5.

The top of the box is provided closure comprising a lid 1? which to the rear portion of the top we dicated at- 18. The side have depending flanges the corresponding side w The lid extends tl -irwardlt' to complete v cover the c n, tween the walls and it The bottom of the box downwardly swinging door standing flanges ill atitc sid extend into the box when so IS in closed position. The door is hinged to the rear portion oi the b631, being" formed with outstanding cars 22 i 1 passes a rod mounted in the side walls 7 of box, and extending therebetween.

An car '24 struck up from and bent outvmrd id door through which at right angles to the wall 8, and having an opening through which the rod passes, serves to brace the same midway between an A spring 25 is coiled around the H, iooped at its center over said and connected its ends to the door such manner that. it is normally held closed.

Fre rv the front edge of the door 20, inid- 35 way between its ends, extends a lee'e 26 he ing an upstanding flange 2? at is extremity. The purpose of this ledge and t n8 flange is to support the mail matter, and to prevent the same from dropping on the no ground when the door 20 is opened; it will be seen that the mail matter slides downwardly on the door when it is opened, and

it comes to a rest on the ledge 26, and is supported by the same and the flange 2? in convenient position for removal. The flange 27 is located in front of the box when the door 20 is in closed position, and therefore also affords convenient means for taking hold of the door and swingingthe some open. The front edge of the door, on opposite sides of'the ledge, has notches'io to facilitate taking hold or" the mail.

The door 20 will be provided with a suit able lock 28, a detailed description of which is not deemed necessary as it forms no part of the present invention. The front wall of the box is also provided with a glazed openingso that the contents of the box. may be visible from the outside. Above the opening 29 the front wall carries a spring clip 39 to hold outgoing mail, also for holdoperates the latter to sound the bell.

ing papers and other matter too large to pass into the box.

Extending across the recess 13, and secured to the flanges 15 is a plate 29 which carries a bell 30, said bell being located Within the recess and the base of the bell being secured to the plate 29. The bell is sounded by a revolving clapper 31 which is geared to a shaft 32 extending through the base of the bell, and being titled, on the outside of the latter with a pinion 33 which is in mesh with a rack 34. carried by a slide plate 35 mounted on the bell base, said plate having alined longitudinal slots 36 into which extend guide pins 37 carried by the bell back and which support the plate. A rod 38 connects the plate 35 to the lid 17, so that when said lid is opened, the rack 34, thrt'iugh the pinion 33, the shaft 32, and the gearing connecting said shaft to the clapper.

A signal is therefore given when the mail carrier opens the lid 17 to deposit mail matter in The bell also rings when the lid which the mail box is supported entirely closes the recess 13, so that the bell may not be tampered with.

- hat is claimedis:

In combination with a mail box having a hinged closure, a bell arranged therein and including a base, a rotary clapper and a shaft for the clapper extending through the base, the base being secured to the mail box, apinion on the shaft outside of the base, a sliding plate on the base and having alined slots therein, pins carried by the base and extending into the slots of the said plate to support the plate, a rack bar carried by the plate and meshing with the said pinion, and a rod connecting the closure and the said plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN W. HENRY" Witnesses MABEL HAMILTON, CHARLES L. THOMAS. 

